


Realizations & Ruminations

by penink



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Gen, That's where it's AT, an excuse to have Todd and Farah paint Dirk's nails, and accepting each other without question, being okay with yourself because you love your friends!!!, but I hope it is endearing nontheless, quiet epiphanies, their love language is doing things for each other, these kids are all bad with words, this is vague drabbly bullshit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:20:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26638720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penink/pseuds/penink
Summary: Dirk, Todd, and Farah each have realizations about unconditional love.
Relationships: Farah Black & Todd Brotzman & Dirk Gently
Comments: 12
Kudos: 14





	Realizations & Ruminations

It is a passive thing, resting in the background of the day to day. Dirk never thought he would have the luxury of _the day to day_. Yet here he was. Over a year of living in the same place and being with the same people– people he _liked,_ even. Dirk thought maybe he was more aware of it, that feeling of unfamiliar peace in the back of his mind, because surely Farah and Todd had experienced it well enough before now. Most of the time Dirk was too busy to take it all in. Most of the time.

“I can’t do it– my hands shake way too much!” Dirk was growing more and more frustrated with the bottle of nailpolish in front of him, already having stained his desk. 

“I told you not to have that second cup of coffee!” Todd called from the kitchen. 

“If I did that, Todd, I’d be too tired to paint them,” was Dirk’s retort. 

“Oh my god– Dirk, stop before you spill it on something important,” Farah rolled her eyes from her neighboring desk. 

“I’ve committed! I’ve got to finish them now,” Dirk bit his tongue, trying to slow down and steady his hand. Yellow nail polish smudged even more onto the desk. 

“Fine,” Farah stood up, sitting on the floor in front of the couch of their front room. 

“...hm?” Dirk stared at her, bemused. 

“Well I’m not doing it and messing up _my_ desk, so just get some paper towels and come sit down,” Farah nodded to the floor in front of her. 

“Oh, right,” Dirk finally processed what she was doing and got up, smearing his shoddy work even more. Dirk’s sudden interest in nailpolish was a bit spontaneous, although so was just about any choice he made, but Dirk simply didn’t have the patience for it. 

Farah tutted him quietly, grabbing onto his hand and began by removing his first attempt. Apparently, Farah was not all that great at painting nails either. She kept on muttering under her breath and painstakingly starting over. Dirk did his best to remain quiet as she worked. 

“It doesn’t have to be perfect-” Dirk tried. 

“Yes it does,” Farah said sharply, but she was also so careful with him. Dirk knew there was no actual bite to her words. Dirk didn’t complain. In fact, he didn’t say anything after that. 

Farah, upon noticing this, glanced up at him. Dirk was just staring at their hands, something in his expression Farah couldn’t quite read. “What’s wrong?” She frowned. 

“Nothing,” Dirk’s tone was far softer now, a change which had crept up on them as time continued to pass quietly, easily. “Thank you, Farah.” 

“It’s just nails, Dirk,” even as Farah said it, she understood. She knew. She knew because she had the same thought when Dirk brings her coffee exactly the way she likes it without her asking, when Todd without a word took on part of her stack of paperwork on overwhelming days, when the two of them brightened her mood just by teasing one another. There was an understanding in that. 

“You’re both terrible at this,” Todd looked at them over the sofa. 

“And you can do better?” Farah teased. 

“Uh, yeah. Actually, I can,” Todd hopped over the couch, sitting beside Farah on the floor. “Band days. I wore black nail polish all the time.” 

“Of course you did,” Dirk grinned. “I hope you know, Todd, my patience is wearing thin. Either you show me Mexican Funeral stuff or I search youtube on my own.” 

Todd cringed, “ugh, okay. Fine. I’ll show you some old videos, at least the ones I can deal with.” 

“Good,” Dirk said smugly. 

“Farah, really? You’re as bad as Dirk,” Todd looked at Farah’s earlier attempts. He was most definitely exaggerating, but Farah still took offense. 

“Hey!” She punched him lightly on the arm. “Show us up then, if you’re such an _alt god_ ,” she finished mockingly. 

“Tina called me that one time…” Todd muttered, shaking his head. He took Dirk’s left hand, once more taking off the nail polish to start fresh. “Of course you got _yellow_...” 

“How could I not? Don’t tell me you can’t paint them if it isn’t _black,”_ Dirk teased. Todd’s hold on his hand was somehow even gentler than Farah’s, his movements so careful and certain. Dirk had never imagined he would one day be this content. 

“Of course I can still paint them,” Todd rolled his eyes. The biggest struggle was as Dirk and Farah continued to talk Dirk kept trying to motion with his hands before Todd would complain and Dirk would try to settle. 

Todd had stopped paying attention to the conversation, all of his focus on Dirk’s hand in his. Even then, at the back of his mind, Todd came to an epiphany that maybe had been waiting there for a while. Todd realized he wasn’t selfish anymore. It hit him slowly, a dawning feeling that felt like it should make him pause, but he just kept painting Dirk’s nails, an ache in his chest as his friends continued to chat beside him. _He wasn’t selfish anymore._ He knew that fact belonged to the two people beside him. And Amanda, of course, but Dirk and Farah were a bit more unexpected. Following this growing feeling was something that broke down Todd far more. He’s okay with himself. Todd knows he is loved and loves them too and that’s why he’s a good person. He was a _good person._ Todd hadn’t even realized that was an option for himself anymore. 

“Todd? Are you alright?” Dirk noticed him stop. 

“Yeah. I’m good,” Todd hoped the slight tremor in his words wasn’t quite so obvious to them. 

“Good. We’ve decided that you’re better at painting nails than the two of us,” Farah nodded as if that settled the matter. 

“Yeah, but you say that like it’s hard,” Todd teased lightly, trying to get out of his own head. Despite that initial overwhelming feeling, Todd thought he could hold onto this peace for a while. 

None of them would acknowledge it, but they didn’t need to, it was known. They were meant to know each other. They were meant to be like this, together.

**Author's Note:**

> This is barely over 1000 words but I hope the softness makes up for it. I just have a lot of feelings about Team Jacket.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.


End file.
